Inexpensive Hair Products to Manage Your Mane
View Photos
style sectionstyle section
When the pores of the face are enlarged, it can cause the skin to appear greasy, sallow and can cause the skin to become inflamed with acne pustules. While pore size largely is determined by heredity, there are a few skin care products that can shrink the pores and improve the quality of the skin.
Start Make a scrub with baking soda.
Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
Baking soda is a product that can tighten and clear pores and reduce the amount of infectious bacteria on the skin, allowing you to have smaller pores and less acne breakouts as a result. Baking soda can be used in a few different ways, the most beneficial being as a scrub or toner. To use a scrub on clogged pores, mix 1-2 tbsp. of baking soda with 1 tsp. water, forming a soft paste. Apply the paste to the skin using small, circular motions for about 30 seconds. Rinse well with water. To use as a toner, fill a clean spray bottle with 1 cup of water, adding 1 tsp. baking soda and mixing it well. Spray the skin after washing, allowing the toner to dry naturally.
Lemon juice
Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Lemon juice is a product that is very acidic and can help remove dead skin cells from the face. Removing these skin cells help open up clogged pores, releasing acne-causing bacteria and lessening acne breakouts. Lemon juice can be applied to the skin in an undiluted, concentrated form. Simply fill an empty spray bottle with undiluted lemon juice, then spray clean skin thoroughly, letting the skin dry naturally.
Olive oil is high in nutrients and minerals.
Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
Olive oil is a product made from squeezing olives, which are high in nutrients and minerals. Olive oil, when applied to the skin, can bind to clogged oils in the pores and release them from the skin. Because olive oil is noncomedogenic, it will not re-clog the pores. To use olive oil, massage 2 tbsp. onto the face for 2 minutes, then lay a steaming washcloth over the skin. Allow the steam to penetrate the pores, then wipe the excess oil from the skin after the cloth cools.
Aloe vera
Digital Vision/Photodisc/Getty Images
Aloe vera gel comes from the aloe plant, which has been used for thousands of years to treat skin conditions. Aloe vera gel has a powerful ability to soothe the skin and help the it purge impurities that can clog the pores. You can buy aloe vera gel at any health food store, and apply it directly to the skin after washing.
Apply tea tree oil to your pores.
Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
Tea tree oil is a product that comes from the Australian tea tree plant and is very good at cleaning pores due to it's highly antimicrobial qualities. Straight tea tree oil must be applied to the skin diluted, which can be accomplished by adding 5 drops of water to 3 drops of tea tree oil. Apply it to the areas of the skin that appear clogged.
